Grec festival 2019 to take a trip from Melbourne to New York

The Grec international performing arts festival will this year offer 94 shows from June 26 to July 31, in an edition boasting 34 co-productions that will provide a panoramic overview of the Anglo-Saxon scene, with a symbolic tour of Australia and the United States.

A first example can be seen at the festival's opening, with the Kronos Quartet from San Francisco, in conjunction with the video artist Alba G.Corral, as well as a preview by musicians from the ESMUC music college in the gardens of the Teatre Grec.

Ivo van Hove, Isabelle Huppert, Bob Wilson and Peeping Tom are some of the big names that will feature in the festival, which will also showcase plenty of local talent, such as Belbel, Manrique, Míriam Iscla, T de Teatre and Emma Vilarasau.

Nor will the festival pass over emerging talent, such as Sixto Paz, Els Pirates, Antonietes and the Parking Shakespeare company, which will bring the Grec 2019 to a close with a double dose of British drama.

Variety of new venues

Meanwhile, the MNAC national gallery, the Palau de la Música concert hall (which will provide the circus element with the Canadian Circa company) and a number of museums and cultural institutions will also contribute to the festival as venues.

Yet the focus of the Grec festival will be to continue its ongoing symbolic journey around the world that began three years ago with Eastern culture, and this year takes in Anglo-Saxon culture, beginning in Australia and finishing in New York.

The journey features names like the Vancouver ballet company, the Canadian Circ company, a monologue by US playwright Bob Wilson performed by Isabelle Huppert, choreographer Rafael Bonachela with the Sydney Dance Company, and Taylor Mac with his history of popular American music.

Reduced ticket prices

The 94 shows in the Grec 2019 will be held in 37 different venues around Barcelona. The festival's opening and closure will both take place in the Teatre Grec, at a reduced ticket price of 12 euros.

"A world of passions" is the slogan for this year's edition of the festival, which offers 11 more shows than last year, but with the same budget of 3.3 million euros. For festival director, Francesc Casadesús, this year's festival leaves its "comfort zone" more than ever before.